Sewing Hints

Oh my! What has happened to this shirt?  I can't get it over my head! The neck is too small!  And even if I could, one sleeve is longer than the other one!  Well, I am just disgusted!  I will never try this again!

Those were my thoughts about 32 years ago after completing my first sewing project.  I guess you could say I have come a long way since then.  I did continue sewing and even went into a profession that allows me to teach others the joy of sewing.  However, some of my students have similar first experiences.  The first thing I tell my students is that they must have patience.  You will make many mistakes, throw half-finished projects away, and get totally frustrated.  But if you hang in there and be patient you can develop skills that can be used in many ways.  I have saved a lot of money making my own bedding, window treatments, and pillows.  And I have enjoyed being able to sew for myself and my daughters.  Not to mention it is a real sense of accomplishment being able to create something from fabric.  Through the years I have learned some shortcuts and sewing hints. Here are just a few:

Patterns:

•Never pay full price for patterns.  If you live close to Hancock Fabrics , they will always put them on sale sometime within the month.
•Place your pattern on fabric and cut garment out at the same time you cut the pattern. This saves you one step.

•Spray a new pattern with fabric protector.  The pattern will last longer, rip less easily and resist wrinkles.

Marking Tools:

•Instead of buying sewing marking pens or pencils use leftover old soap squares instead of throwing them away.


Scissors:

• Invest in handheld scissor sharpeners.
• Fiskars scissors are a great investment.

Sharpening a machine needle:

•Stitch through a piece of sandpaper.

Buttons and buttonholes

•Here's a tip for keeping four-hole buttons on longer.  Sew through only two holes at a time, breaking the thread and knotting it for each pair of holes.  This way, should one set break loose, the other side will still hold the button.
•Use dental floss or elastic thread to sew buttons on children's clothing.  The buttons will take a lot of wear before falling off.

Sharp Corners on Collars or Pillows:

•Use large knitting needles to poke out corners.  Be careful not to poke through stitching.
•Check out pillow making tutorials:  DIY Pillow Form, How to Make a Decorative Pillow Cover

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Make a Decorative Pillow (Learn to Cover a Pillow Form Tutorial)

Materials: Yard Sale or Thrift Pillows, Decorative Fabric, Sewing Supplies 

 

Remove fabric from form.

 Place pillow form on fabric.

 

 Cut square out around the form. Leaving enough edge for a 5/8 seam allowance.

 

 Should look like this.

Fold fabric that will be used for back of pillow. It will need to be as big as top piece plus a few extra inches.

Cut back out.

Cut back of fabric so that you have two unequal parts. 

Iron a 5/8 inch seam allowance on long side of each back piece.

Stitch

Should look like this.

Lay one back piece over the other. Over lapping about 3 to 4 inches.

Place right side of pillow top piece on the back of overlapped pieces.

Cut off excess on each side.

Should look like this.

Pin around edges.

Stitch a 5/8 seam around pillow cover.

Raise pressure foot up with needle in down postition and pivot at corners

Clip each corner being careful not to clip seam.

This is what the back side will look like.

Turn pillow cover right side out and put pillow form into pillow cover.

And there you have it. So don't throw away those decorative pillows just because you are redecorating. Just transform them to match your new decor. 

Once you learn this simple technique for covering a pillow form you can get creative with various styles.  Print This Tutorial

Other similar projects:  DIY Pillow Forms